At least 33 people have been confirmed dead and two dozen others injured in an accident in Rajasthan’s Sawai Madhopur area of Rajasthan, after a private bus fell off a bridge into Banas river, on Saturday, 23 December, District Magistrate KC Varma said.
Bodies of around 26 passengers were recovered from the river, officials said.
Bus falls in Rajasthan’s river Banas.
(Photo: ANI)
CNN News 18 reported that the private bus, which was en route to Lalkot, lost control while trying to overtake another bus.
At the time of filing of the report, bodies of 25 dead had been identified and 19 of these handed over to their respective families.
PM Expresses Grief
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident.
Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia condoled the deaths and ordered quick action for the injured. Authorities announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh each for the bereaved families and Rs 50,000 each to the injured.
Health Minister Kalicharan Saraf said the injured would be taken care of on priority in hospitals.
Mishap Blamed on Mishap
The bus, carrying around 45 passengers from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Assam, was headed to a pilgrimage at a temple at Malana Dabi area of Sawai Madhopur, The Times of India reported.
According to eyewitnesses, the driver, aged around 40, was over speeding and trying to overtake another vehicle on the narrow bridge when he lost control with the bus plunging 100 feet into the river around 6.45 am near Dubi village.
Fog was also listed as a cause of the accident. A team of the State Disaster Management and Relief Department and swimmers helped in rescuing the injured and bringing out the dead from the bus, which lay on its side on the river bed.
Both government and private doctors are engaged in tending to the injured, said MLA Diya Kumari who was present at the spot. She said the government would extend full support to the bereaved families and the injured. She said efforts would be made to build a concrete bridge at the accident spot.
District officials led by District Collector Kailash Chand Verma and Superintendent of Police Maman Singh reached the spot to supervise search and rescue operations.
(This is a developing story. More details awaited)
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